People
RAIL Group Members
RAIL Research Group is led by Dr. Osman Ozbulut and is composed of students with diverse backgrounds.
Faculty Lead

Osman E. Ozbulut
Professor
Osman Ozbulut is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Virginia.
PhD Students
- Amedebrahan Asfaw, Research Area: Innovative seismic control devices; Resilent design of structures
- Zhangfan Jiang, Research Area: Nano-reinforced cementitious composites
- Abdou Ndong, Research Area: Structural health monitoring of bridges
- Ugur Kilic, Research Area: Additive manufacturing of cementitious composites; Nano-reinforced composites
- Malik Corum, Research Area: Innovative seismic control devices; Resilent design of structures
MS Students
- Griffin Coffey; Research Area: Asphalt materials testing and characterization
- Vivian Austin, Research Area: 3D concrete printing of thermally efficient cementitious composites
Post-Doctoral Researchers:
- Muhammad Sherif, May 2018 – July 2019
- Current Position: Assistant Professor at University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Abdollah Bagheri, Aug. 2015 – May 2017
- Current Position: Research Scientist at University of Maryland
PhD Students
- Muhammad Sherif, Ph.D., 2018
- Thesis Title: “Design and characterization of innovative materials and structural systems for resilient concrete structures”
- Current Position: Assistant Professor at University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Sherif Daghash, Ph.D., 2018
- Thesis Title: “High-performance and sustainable materials for structural applications”
- Current Position: Structural Associate II, Michael Baker Int., VA
- Baikuntha Silwal, Ph.D., 2018
- Thesis Title: “Enhancing resilience of steel frame buildings using superelastic viscous dampers”
- Current Position: Project Engineer, ABNA Engineering, IL
MS Students
- Yang Yang, May 2019 – May 2021
- Thesis Title: “Rheological and thermal characterization of 3D printable lightweight cementitious composites with fly ash cenoshperes”
- Seth Engel, Aug. 2018 – May 2020
- Thesis Title: “Topology optimization of concrete structures for 3D printing applications: An exploration of the material-structure relationship in design”
- Yuhui Lyu, Aug. 2016 – May 2018
- Thesis Title: “Environmental durability of CFRP strand sheets strengthened steel plate double strap joints”
- Abdou Ndong, Aug. 2016 – May 2018
- Thesis Title: “A methodology for condition assessment of T-beam bridges without structural plans”
- Zhangfan Jiang, Aug. 2015 – May 2017
- Thesis Title: “Self-sensing cementitious composites with graphene nanoplatelets”
- Salman Usmani, Jan. 2014 – May 2016
- Thesis Title: “Dynamic characterization and vibration serviceability assessment of a highly trafficked, lively pedestrian bridge”
Undergraduate Students
- Meghan Jones, Sep. 2018 – May 2019
- Wesley Daugherty, Feb. 2018 – May 2019
- Allyson Beaubien, Sep. 2018 – Apr. 2019
- Aleyna Bedir, Sep. 2018 – Dec. 2018
- Mariel Brown, Jan. 2017 – Sep. 2017
- William Rupp, Jan. 2017 – May 2017
- Rachel Carder, Jun. 2016 – Jul. 2016
- Divannia Hill, Jun. 2016 – Jul. 2016
- Radhika Pavgi, Jan. 2015 – May 2016
- Aaron Delong, Jan. 2015 – Dec 2015
- Bethany Gordon, Jun. 2015 – Jul. 2015
- Katherine Thompson, Jan. 2014 – May 2014
- Rachel Ford-Fink, Jan. 2014 – May 2014
- Ryan Abalos, Feb. 2013 – May 2014
- Serena Zahrah, Feb. 2013 – May 2014
Visiting Scholars
- Yadong Li, Jan. 2020 – Present, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
- Sasa Cao, Mar. 2019 – Mar. 2020, Guangzhou University, Guangdong, China
- Ozer Sevim, Jan. 2019 – Jan. 2020, Assistant Professor, Kirkkale University, Kirkkale, Turkey
- Xing Ren, Jan. 2018 – Jan. 2019, Associate Professor, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an, China
- Fei Shi, Sep. 2016 – Dec. 2017, PhD Student, Guangzhou University, Guangdong, China
- Guohua Xing, Sep. 2013 – Oct. 2014, Professor, Chang’an University, Xi’an, China








